The invention relates generally to metal cutting and welding torches and, more particularly, to plasma cutting systems.
A plasma cutting system creates plasma (e.g., high temperature ionized gas) to cut metal or other electrically conductive material. In general, an electrical arc converts a gas (e.g., compressed air) into plasma, which is sufficiently hot to melt the work piece while the pressure of the gas blows away the molten metal. The power output and flow of the gas can affect the performance of the system. Moreover, environmental conditions can affect the performance of the system. Unfortunately, existing systems do not account for variations in environmental conditions.
In some instances, the environmental conditions may include a high altitude and a low atmospheric pressure. In these environmental conditions, the plasma cutting systems may not have sufficiently high output flow and pressure of compressed air due to the relatively low inlet pressure, i.e., low atmospheric pressure. As a result, the reduction in pressure and flow of the air may cause the torch to overheat, cut slower or generally at unacceptable rates, and blow away the molten metal less effectively than desirable for the particular application.